Diet is a huge component to ensuring your pet is healthy and stays in optimal condition. Unfortunately, many dog foods that are on the market today offer little to no real nutritional value. You must be very conscientious in making your selections, and choose feeds that offer real and balanced nutrition. Some foods may be lacking in very important components, such as:

High Quality Protein

Protein is important in helping your dog build and maintain muscle mass, as well as feed and nourish your dog's bones, organs, immune system, and more. If your dog is deficient in quality protein, he could suffer from health problems like poor immune response, anemia, and a dry brittle coat, among other things. The kibble should also be made with meat that is considered “fit for human consumption.” There are many dog foods created using 4D meat, which is extremely unhealthy and poses many contamination risks for your furry pal.

Healthy Fats

Most kibbles do not contain enough Omega 3 Fatty Acids. Instead, they contain large doses of its counterpart - Omega 6. This is critically important because these two competing Omega fatty acids regulate the body's inflammatory response. Omega 6 causes the body to become more inflamed, Omega 3 does the opposite - it reduces inflammation. Now each serve a purpose - when we get a bump, our body protects us by swelling the area. The problem arises when there is too much Omega 6 in the system, and causes unneeded inflammation all over. As most of us know by now, excess inflammation makes many serious health issues in humans and animals worse, or causes them outright. So how does all that Omega 6 get into your dog food? Grains are high in Omega 6. However, not many dog owners know the bigger dog food secret - the meat in dog food is a huge source of Omega 6 as well. Why? Because our livestock, unless it's "grass fed", eat grain and soy in large amounts. And so, Omega 6 gets concentrated in the protein your dog eats. To correct your dog's Omega 3 & 6 ratio, re-balance their food with a supplement rich in Omega 3, such as The Missing Link® Original Superfood Powders or Once Daily Superfood Dental Chews. Much of the skin-soothing, happy joint results The Missing Link® is famous for come from the awesome Omega 3 power of our patented-process flax seed base. And don’t forget about our omega rich supplements for cats too!

Healthy Carbs

Carbs are a good energy source for your dog when they aren’t taken overboard. Just like with people, too many carbs, especially unhealthy carbs, can be detrimental to your dog’s health. Avoid pretty much any dog foods that list corn as the first ingredient, as they offer very little nutritional value and may cause obesity, among other health ailments. Also, keep in mind it’s often a very sub-par quality of corn called feed corn, or corn meal. A better choice is to look for foods that contain alternate carbohydrates from starchy vegetables like peas and garbanzo beans. These at least can offer some nutrition. Just keep in mind that it's harder for dogs to digest grains than fats and proteins.

Natural Vitamins and Minerals

Unfortunately, your dog food could be so highly processed, and made with such high temperatures, that virtually all the natural vitamins and minerals it may have possessed have been leeched right out of it. It’s basically been “denatured.” This forces manufacturers to add synthetic vitamins and minerals back in. This is challenging, because your dog may not be able to synthesize them, or your dog could even be given too much of something, and it could prove toxic. Dry dog foods offer very little in the way of “natural” nutrition, and are not the best choice for keeping your pet healthy over the long-term.

Enzymes

Enzymes are essential in many processes that support and sustain the life and health of your fur baby. Dogs are born with a certain number of enzymes at birth, and that’s all they will have during their lifetime. All other enzymes must to be gleaned from the food that they eat. Unfortunately, in the process of manufacturing dog food, along with other essential nutrients, live enzymes are mostly destroyed. The lack of enzymes in his diet can cause a noted deficiency in your pooch.

Feed Your Dog The Nutrients They Need

One of the best ways to ensure your fur kiddo is being fed a healthy and nutritious diet (with all the live enzymes and natural vitamins and minerals they need to live long and happy) is to feed them high-quality food, plus a nutrient-dense superfood supplement like the The Missing Link®. Use our Shop By Condition or Shop By Animal lists at the top of the website to select the right superfood supplement for your dog, then prepare for them to get Happier & Better in 30 days!